I had a conversation last week that really sent my brain humming. It was about separating what we ‘believe’ about money from what we ‘know’. That might not sound exciting, but the more I thought about what I believed about money, the more I got into some really vulnerable places. It’s kind of crazy. As I was jotting them down today I had so much trouble actually putting them down in black and white. My hand didn't want to do it. My heart started beating fast I’m not sure what’s all going on, and maybe it’s just me. But there’s ...

Anybody that’s been in the creative world for a few years learns quickly that talent isn’t enough. Sure, it’s nice. But as you get older, you see more and more talented people get passed by people who have a host of other skills. Skills that might not have been as sexy as talent, but are helping them do some pretty cool things. It seems like in the arts, talent should reign supreme, but we all know that the people who work all the time aren’t always the most talented. They’re the people who have managed to take all the skills ...

This morning I’m scared of my work. It’s over there, in my computer, and I know as soon as I open it I’m going to have to face it. And that scares me. And so to distract myself from the fact that the only thing which will actually help is actually going to open the damn thing up, make a plan, and all that good stuff… my brain has decided to bring up the ever helpful voice that says things like: “If this was really what you loved to do, you’d love every minute of it.” or this one… “When ...

I was doing a finance workshop for a group of musicians last week, and half way into a rant about cashflow basics and the importance of financial technique… I realized that I was doing this all wrong. It’s still frustrating to me when I think about it. The thought process was sound. I wanted to start at ‘step one’. I didn’t want to leave anyone behind. I wanted to give them the tools they needed to get started. The things is, that’s not how people usually start things, and since we were all musicians… that should have been abundantly clear ...

I had a lovely conversation last week with an actor about the importance of access. It’s an issue that you can chip away at from a hundred different starting points, and it’s an essential discussion point in the world of finance. In my own little corner of the world, the fight I’ve chosen is on the low income front. I want to help people who don’t earn a ton of income, to get access to one-on-one financial planning. Here’s how I worked on that goal in October. The work: Last month R2R subsidized 7 hours of financial planning and coaching ...

Ah, the first week in November… let the Christmas bombardment BEGIN! The world has already transformed into December, even though it’s not, and I’m not here to complain about it… it actually isn’t really bothering me right now. I’m here to say that even though all the rest of Christmas can wait until December 19th (which is when I do my shopping)…. the financial planning part can’t, or at least it shouldn’t. Fact: Christmas (or any other holiday you celebrate) is gonna cost you money I was talking to someone this last week, and we named a new financial concept ...

The general attitude around budgeting drives me a little crazy. It seems to be viewed as the most basic building block of personal finance... which might be true... unless you equate the word 'basic' with the word 'simple'. It's not simple. And all the 5 minute budgeting posts and programs on the internet aren't helping (please don't search this site for them... I'm pretty sure I'm part of the problem). But the more I work with people and help them master their cashflow... the more convinced I am that it takes a heck of a lot longer than 5 minutes ...

The following post was originally written in early June as exclusive content for the R2R email list. If you don't want to wait 6 months for the good stuff... you can subscribe HERE.  It was 11pm … and I was staring down at a plate of cucumber slices and half an avocado. This was not what I wanted. But a major fail for late-night-wants-to-eat-junk-food-Chris was a huge win for day-time-Chris-who-planned-on-eating-healthy-this-week. Because if I’ve learned anything about health - physical or financial - it’s that there are certain times in my life when I have no ability to rationally make the ...

Ritual. It’s such a nice word. Just writing it makes me feel wiser and more in control of my life. AND it’s not just for show. No ma’am. There’s a ton of research on how useful building rituals into your life are, whether it’s for self-reflection, time to create, or REGULAR MONEY CHECKINS. Why rituals help so much: I’m not a scientist, so I’m in danger of grossly oversimplifying this. But basically your brain loves habits and routines because doing new things is exhausting. If you’ve ever traveled to another country you’ll know how this feels. All of a sudden ...

Creative people (like all people) love to spend money, but not the way most of the world thinks we do. In my, still limited, experience they love to spend on two main things:

1. Their business (training, travel, making stuff)
2. Charity

This is why I absolutely love you crazy folks. It’s actually making me feel like a real jerk to continually convince people to hold off on giving money to worthy causes… just for a little bit… But I stand by it because it’s my job to make sure you’re taking care of yourself first. A lesson from a ...